Member of Parliament James Bezan Remembers Holodomor Victims

Ottawa, ON – In recognition of the 79th anniversary of the Holodomor genocide in Ukraine, James Bezan, Member of Parliament for Selkirk-Interlake, spoke at a number of events during Holodomor Awareness Week.

Bezan said in the House of Commons, “Mr. Speaker, this week we remember and raise awareness of the Holodomor, the horrific and catastrophic famine of 1932-33 that claimed the lives of millions of Ukrainian men, women and children. The Holodomor was a genocide by starvation, perpetrated by the ruthless regime of Joseph Stalin, in an attempt to stamp out the people of Ukraine’s aspirations for a free and independent country. Communities across Canada this week will be holding memorial services to honour the memory of those who perished.”

At the Holodomor service on the Hill, MP Bezan shared his thoughts on the tragic anniversary of this event. Bezan stressed how important it was “to honour the memories of those who suffered and those who perished in one of the worst genocides that the world has ever witnessed. We need to always remember those victims and remember the horror that was poured out on Ukraine in 1932 and 1933.”

“Josef Stalin and his communist thugs, and his sympathizers… invaded the homes of Ukrainian nationalists, not for collectivization, not to force their ideology upon them, but they wanted to extinguish the Ukrainian nationalist dream,” stated Bezan.

MP Bezan put forward a Private Member’s Bill in 2008, The Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) Memorial Day Act, that officially recognized the fourth Saturday of every November as Holodomor Memorial Day and that Canada officially recognizing the Holodomor as genocide.

MP Bezan will be speaking Saturday at the Winnipeg Holodomor Memorial Service at Winnipeg City Hall at 1:30 pm on November 24th.